Anyway -- I feel all discombobulated. Partly I think it's returning from vacation, preparing to go on vacation again, but with a conference in between.

Plus worry about Kevin, who's working too hard and worried about our house (seems that the contractor is now busy until April). And Nora -- what will become of her? Plus general sadness -- why do we live here? Plus, I am sure, worry about my mother and Peter, and bitter anger at my aunt, who is a complete butinsky. Plus worry in general about everything, absolutely everything.

I want a vacation, and truth be told, it was not exactly a vacation that I just had.

Here's the thing about my aunt -- I don't know what's wrong with her. She's got two lovely children who each have lovely spouses and two children of their own. Her children even like each other. But nothing pleases her more than coming to my mother's house and trying to arrange us all. What she really wants is for all of us to go away, so she can have my mother AND her kids around.

I'm sure I sound like I'm nuts. I probably am nuts. But when she's around you can't do anything without her butting in and telling you how to do it better -- so your only option is to retreat when you see her coming and to let her do everything. I mean, I'm not going to fight with her over the best way to make hamburgers.

Plus, she has to tell everyone over and over how fabulous her little cabin in the woods is, but in truth it's kind of like a trailer and it's full of dog hair.

--Not that I'm in any position to talk! My house is also quite small and full of cat hair, but I don't go around telling everyone it's the taj mahal.